Eloah
Pariah! was the farewell uttered by the village
Leaving the boy battered and ashamed.
East went the foreigner, seeking asylum in the desert.
Numb soles, burnt skin and parched tongue attracted the
insistent vultures in the sky and behind the sand dunes.
The boy walked, then crawled and at last dragged himself
under the random sun, dipping his elbows in the sharp sand,
deeply desiring the distasteful end would change.
Eloah's last breath was a prayer. He died holy.